Santa Rosa police find, arrest man wanted after fleeing Friday chase

April 7, 2013, 3:34PM

04/07/2013

A man who bailed out of his BMW during a police chase, leaving his girlfriend and infant son still inside the rolling vehicle, was later tracked down to a Santa Rosa home and arrested by Santa Rosa Police.

Eric Diaz-Pineda, 22, was booked into the Sonoma County jail late Saturday night on felony charges of child endangerment and recklessly evading police. He was also booked on three arrest warrants, two of them felonies, police said.

Officers spent all day Saturday searching for Diaz-Pineda after he led them on a chase through residential streets Friday night, blowing stop signs along the way. It started when a patrol officer, searching for distracted drivers, tried to pull him over after spotting him driving on West Ninth Street talking on his cell phone.

Diaz-Pineda tore off with police in pursuit. At Coulter Street he jumped out of his still-moving car and ran off, jumping over a fence and disappearing into the night. His 21-year-old girlfriend and 15-month-old son, who was strapped into a car seat, were uninjured in the car.

Police said they developed information that Diaz-Pineda was inside a home in the 900 block of Kingwood Street. At 10:11 p.m. Saturday a group of officers surrounded the house and attempted to coax him out of the residence. He finally emerged voluntarily after a police dog was brought to the scene, police said.

Diaz-Pineda is being held at the Sonoma County Jail n one no-bail warrant, a $50,000 felony warrant and a $1,000 misdemeanor warrant.